Consulting Chief Engineers

Job Title Consulting Chief Engineer – RQ4 FMS and RQ4-USAF Business Area Programs Location San Diego, CA – Onsite full-time, no remote or hybrid available. Job Summary Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems is hiring Consulting Chief Engineers to provide technical leadership for the RQ4 FMS and RQ4-USAF Business Area Programs, managing the technical baseline for platforms and leading engineering teams across the program lifecycle. Responsibilities Maintain the technical baseline of all platforms and exercise technical authority for system changes. Provide technical leadership and direction to the Business Area engineering team across the entire program lifecycle. Lead and oversee a portfolio of 100+ engineers in the FMS portfolio or 200+ in the USAF portfolio for sustainment, improvement, and development of new capabilities for the ROK and Japan platforms. Oversee all major technical reviews (SRR, SFR, PDR, CDR, TRR, FRR, etc.) to ensure quality deliverables on time and within budget. Serve as the principal technical interface with the customer. Demonstrate experience and understanding of software development, avionics integration, systems engineering (requirements analysis, modeling and simulation, verification), and integration and test in laboratory and flight test environments. Track and ensure Key Performance Parameters and Technical Performance Measures, including First Time Quality, are met and satisfy customer and program requirements. Provide technical leadership to identify, review, and manage risks, issues, and opportunities. Ensure Systems Safety and Airworthiness compliance throughout development programs. Make critical decisions to halt and correct planned test events if system safety is compromised. Escalate significant technical issues to the Enterprise CE and VP of Engineering as appropriate. Apply robust systems engineering practices for proposal and ECP bid establishment and review. Approve proposals and ECPs for technical adequacy and executability. Provide input to IPTs and functional home room leadership on Engineering personnel performance and deliverables. Offer constructive feedback and improvement recommendations regarding people, processes, and tools. Develop, implement, and maintain technical product roadmaps for a program. Core Technical Competencies Strong technical judgment and risk management capability, including risk acceptance decisions under uncertainty. Demonstrated technical leadership as chief/lead engineer or equivalent authority on complex, multidisciplinary systems. Strong systems engineering and systems thinking skills covering requirements development, architecture, integration, and verification/validation. Experience leading system architecture and design trades, balancing performance, cost, schedule, safety, and producibility/supportability. Deep expertise in at least one relevant technical discipline with broad knowledge across hardware, software, networks, integration, and test. Experience driving cross-functional technical integration across IPTs, suppliers, and specialty engineering (safety, reliability, RAM, etc.). Basic Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in STEM and 16 years of experience on manned or unmanned aircraft systems, OR Master’s in STEM and 14 years of experience, OR Ph.D. and 11 years of experience. Subject Matter Expert in at least two of the following core technical competency areas: technical judgment and risk management; demonstrated technical leadership; systems engineering and systems thinking; leading system architecture and design trades; deep expertise in one technical discipline; cross-functional technical integration. Demonstrated knowledge and experience of aircraft systems, including air vehicle, mission computing, communications, and sensors. Familiarity with leading large technical proposals and ability to guide customers through technical performance reviews. Active DoD Top Secret (or higher) clearance. Ability to obtain and maintain Special Access Program (SAP) clearance. Preferred Qualifications Active TS/SCI clearance. Advanced degree (MS or Ph.D.) in a relevant field. Experience with Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV) systems. Experience with radar systems and satellite communication. Experience with airworthiness certification / MIL-HDBK 516. Experience with product lifecycle through sustainment and operations. Salary & Benefits Primary Level salary range: $212,100.00 – $318,100.00 (based on scope, responsibilities, experience, education, skills, and market conditions). In addition, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, discretionary bonus, and long-term incentives for VP or Director levels. Benefits include health insurance, life and disability insurance, savings plan, company-paid holidays, and paid time off for vacation and personal business. Additional Information Relocation assistance may be available. Clearance required to start: Yes (Top Secret). Travel: Yes, 50 percent of the time. Northrop Grumman is an Equal Opportunity Employer. For the full EEO and pay transparency statement, visit U.S. Citizenship is required for all positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions. #J-18808-Ljbffr Northrop Grumman